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The Midnight Romance in Hagwon Ep 1-2 Review: Wi Ha Joon-Jung Ryeo Won’s teacher-student romance starts slow
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon premiered over the weekend, and it had both lukewarm and exhilarating moments. Check out our full review below.
Name: The Midnight Romance in Hagwon
Premiere Date: 11 May, 2024
Cast: Wi Ha Joon, Jung Ryeo Won
Director: Ahn Pan Seok
Writer: Park Kyung Hwa
No. of episodes: 16
Genre: Romance, Melodrama
Language: Korean
Where to watch: tvN, Viki
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon storyline
Seo Hye Jin, played by Jung Ryeo Won, is the star Korean teacher at Daechi Chase, an after-school academy for high school students, also known as a hagwon. Lee Joon Ho, played by Wi Ha Joon, was once the disciple of the popular professor, returns after 10 years, and plans to work by her side at the same institute.
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon follows the lives of the two leads as they work together and rediscover romance, albeit very differently than they initially sought.
The Midnight Romance in Hagwon teaser
Initial impression of The Midnight Romance in Hagwon
If you’ve been a fan of calm and collected but realistic K-dramas, Ahn Pan Seok’s shows are the right fit for you. When The Midnight Romance in Hagwon was announced, with the famed director’s name beside it, I knew I was in for a whiplash of some true-to-face content that would call for many people’s praise and even wrath at times. So when I first went into the romance show, I awaited a stirring of emotions. The Midnight Romance in Hagwon, however, has so far not managed to give an uprise of any feelings at all. But it’s only been a couple of episodes, so I intend to give it the benefit of the doubt.
Acting performances by Wi Ha Joon and Jung Ryeo Won
Men in love is a concept well expressed via multiple shows, but men falling deeper each time they look at their woman is a concept that not many can master. The writer for The Midnight Romance in Hagwon has surely taken one for the team in this case alongside Wi Ha Joon, whose first lead role in a romance drama has come plastered with red hearts on his face.
A man who’d seldom smile and was ready to kill at the drop of a hat is now the next contender in the ‘she has me wrapped around her finger’ squad, and a fabulous one at that. Jung Ryeo Won has not been very impressive so far, with weakly delivered and confusion-inducing lines that have not impacted the viewer or the show’s flow. But I’m hopeful.
Should you watch The Midnight Romance in Hagwon?
After the first look at the romance drama, Wi Ha Joon and Jung Ryeo Won’s characters are bound to go through multiple challenges as the show progresses. The ice-cold setting of any academy-focused Korean show has duly been replicated in The Midnight Romance in Hagwon, and at this point, it feels more familiar than we’d like to admit.
Anyone looking for a blast from the past will surely find solace in The Midnight Romance in Hagwon, which manages to bring back the comfort of an English-language background score that Something in the Rain became known for and the dear red umbrella which became a friend of the viewers and is expected to do so once again.
There’s a lot in store for the show, its characters, Wi Ha Joon-Jung Ryeo Won, and a lot of room for development. So call it director bias, if you will, but I intend to return next week to find out if the ex-student wins his former teacher’s heart after all.
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